Systems and methods for winnowing food products

ABSTRACT

Methods, systems, and apparatus for winnowing. In one aspect, a method includes loading an initial material into a winnowing system via a feed member; feeding the material into a fluidically accelerated winnowing cavity, where the initial material impacts at least one plate member to yield chaff material and processed material, and where the processed material and the chaff material circulate in the winnowing cavity; and separating the chaff material and the processed from the winnowing cavity based on density. Other aspects include yielding intermediate material, where the intermediate material reimpacts the at least one plate member until yielding chaff material and processed material, preprocessing the initial material, controlling the flow of initial material into the winnowing cavity with a feed gate, where the chaff material egresses the winnowing cavity via a chaff chute, where the chaff material collects in a collection cavity, and/or more.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) of U.S.Patent Application No. 62/437,117, filed Dec. 21, 2016, which isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

This specification relates to the field of food ingredient preparation.More specifically, the present technology is in the technical field ofwinnowing food products, such as cacao.

Cacao beans typically are winnowed in the process of producingchocolate. A whole cacao bean typically may be approximately twelve tofifteen percent by weight chaff and the remainder typically may be thedesired food material, which often fractures into pieces known as cocaonibs, or simply nibs. In conventional cacao production, cacao beans aretypically dried using a number of techniques (e.g., sun drying,convection air drying, and/or conduction drying), then crushed usingconvention machines (e.g., hammer or roller mills), and then winnowedusing conventions systems and techniques (e.g., hand separation, carpetseparation, high-flow, low-RPM tunnel separators, vibratory tablesieves). Modern industrial standards typically require no more than 1.5percent chaff by weight (which equates to an approximate 90% reductionfrom whole beans) in cacao nibs after winnowing.

Winnowing typically is the process of separating grain, seed, or otherfood materials from their chaff or shells by blowing a current of airthrough an unseparated mixture. The lower-density chaff and/or shellstravel a greater distance in the air current than the higher-densityfood product resulting in a separation gradient. The gradient may bethen separated into discrete piles resulting in a pile substantiallycontaining chaff, and a pile substantially containing desired materials,such as food products. While there typically may be some crosscontamination, the process of winnowing has been used to prepare foodmaterial of acceptable quality for thousands of years.

The earliest form of winnowing required two individuals. Whole foodwould first be crushed, releasing the food material from the chaff,resulting in a loose mixture. One individual would gradually shakeunseparated mixture of food material and chaff mixture out of a bowl ofat some distance above the ground while a separate person fanned thefalling mixture with a cloth, rug, or broad leaf. Wind could also beused to provide the airflow to separate the mixture; however, this couldproduce an inconsistent result. While this method has the advantage ofproducing separated food material using limited resources, often inremote locations, it is insufficient for commercial, industrial, or evenlarge-scale home food production.

Early industrial food winnowers of the 19^(th) century essentiallyreplicated this earlier process of manual winnowing using mechanicalsystems in a controlled environment. A crushed mixture would be placedin hopper above a drift tunnel. The hopper would then discharge a roughstream of mixture down through drift tunnel where a current of air,often supplied by a large bladed fan, would flow from one end of thedrift tunnel to the other resulting in horizontal separation of foodmaterial. This separation would often be segmented by discrete dischargechutes into a number into discrete grades, each containing differentratios and sizes of chaff and food material. While horizontal drifttunnel winnowers were generally more productive than manual winnowing,but they required relatively large volume drift tunnels in order tosufficiently separate large quantities of mixtures into commerciallyacceptable grades, which further required large amounts of time andlabor to collect and utilize effectively.

Grated winnowers were adopted in the early 20^(th) century to increasewinnowing efficiency. Grated winnowers use multiple layers of vibratinggrates with sequentially smaller mesh sizes to separate crushed mixturesinto mixtures consisting of a small range in particle sizes as theytravel horizontally across the grates. A calibrated updraft of air isthen used to separate the chaff from the food material at the terminalend of each grate. Since the updraft air current may be specificallycalibrated for each grate mesh size, grated winnowers typically are ableto achieve higher yields and separation efficiencies when compared todrift tunnel winnowers. The layered design of grated winnowers alsoenables them to process more material per unit volume compared to drifttunnel winnowers, due to the layered geometry. Unfortunately, thelayered approach also makes grated winnowers difficult to clean, due tothe tight working spaces and large surface area, and the large size andenvironmental requirements makes then impractical for smaller spaces oruses. Further, the careful calibration and complexity of cleaningrequirements limit the application of grated winnowers in batchprocessing varieties of food materials.

Vertical drift tubes have been developed recently for batch processingwinnowers. These devices use large diameter, substantially verticaltubes with an updraft to separate mixtures according to density.However, vertical drift tubes present many of their own limitations. Forexample, discharge rates must be consistent must be constantlycontrolled, air flow must be consistent due to the requirement of thedrift tubes to carefully balance of force, and the tube environmentpresents the inherent problem of material falling down and collidingwith material climbing up the tube. Some angled drift tubes designs havebeen used, such as forty-five degree tube configurations, but theproblems of the vertical drift tubes still exist and continue to limitsubstantial use of drift tube winnowers.

All current winnowers feed at a freefall or drift tube rate thatmaterial falls in gravity or slower with vertical drift tubes. Thereforethere is a need for a new system and method that can batch processvariable feed stock at a high volumetric processing rate in highlyefficient and easy to clean manner, and result in high ratio ofseparation.

Conventional techniques for winnowing cocao inefficient and/orcumbersome, often requiring a large working space, great amounts oftime, and an intensive amount of concentration. These conventionalsystems additionally are prone to clogging due to over- or under-feedingof product, chaff flow, food material collisions, and/or the like. Thesetechniques and systems are often not easily integrated into other stagesof production due to their environmental requirements and/or highmaintenance and operation requirements. Further, all current winnowingsystems rely on freefall or carefully calibrated drift tube for batchprocessing speeds, which is slow and inefficient. Therefore, what isneeded therefore is a more efficient and effective winnowing system andmethod capable of batch processing variable feed stock at highprocessing rates.

The present novel technology addresses these needs.

SUMMARY

This specification describes technologies relating to food ingredientpreparation. More specifically, the present technology is in thetechnical field of winnowing food products, such as cacao.

The details of one or more embodiments of the subject matter describedin this specification are set forth in the accompanying drawings and thedescription below. Other features, aspects, and advantages of thesubject matter will become apparent from the description, the drawings,and the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a first perspective view of a first embodiment of the presentnovel technology.

FIG. 1B is a first bifurcated side perspective view of the firstembodiment of the present novel technology.

FIG. 1C is a second bifurcated side perspective view of the firstembodiment of the present novel technology.

FIG. 1D is a third bifurcated side perspective view of the firstembodiment of the present novel technology.

FIG. 2 is a second perspective view of the first embodiment of thepresent novel technology.

FIG. 3A depicts a first side perspective view of the first embodiment ofthe present novel technology, specifically during a loading stage.

FIG. 3B depicts a second side perspective view of the first embodimentof the present novel technology, specifically during a feeding stage.

FIG. 3C depicts a third side perspective view of the first embodiment ofthe present novel technology, specifically during an impacting stage.

FIG. 3D depicts a fourth side perspective view of the first embodimentof the present novel technology, specifically during a circulatingstage.

FIG. 3E depicts a fifth side perspective view of the first embodiment ofthe present novel technology, specifically during the circulating stagewith cavity flow member.

FIG. 3F depicts a sixth side perspective view of the first embodiment ofthe present novel technology, specifically during a selection stage.

Like reference numbers and designations in the various drawings indicatelike elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Before the present methods, implementations, and systems are disclosedand described, it is to be understood that this invention is not limitedto specific synthetic methods, specific components, implementation, orto particular compositions, and as such may, of course, vary. It is alsoto be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose ofdescribing particular implementations only and is not intended to belimiting.

As used in the specification and the claims, the singular forms “a,”“an” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearlydictates otherwise. Ranges may be expressed in ways including from“about” one particular value, and/or to “about” another particularvalue. When such a range is expressed, another implementation mayinclude from the one particular value and/or to the other particularvalue. Similarly, when values are expressed as approximations, forexample by use of the antecedent “about,” it will be understood that theparticular value forms another implementation. It will be furtherunderstood that the endpoints of each of the ranges are significant bothin relation to the other endpoint, and independently of the otherendpoint.

“Optional” or “optionally” means that the subsequently described eventor circumstance may or may not occur, and that the description includesinstances where said event or circumstance occurs and instances where itdoes not. Similarly, “typical” or “typically” means that thesubsequently described event or circumstance often though may not occur,and that the description includes instances where said event orcircumstance occurs and instances where it does not.

The present novel winnower typically utilizes a downdraft of fluid(typically air) to draw the food material/chaff mixture from a hopperinto the downdraft section of the winnowing chamber cavity. A diverterwall then transitions the downdrafted mixture flow from substantiallyvertical to substantially horizontal, where it traverses the winnowingcavity and collides abruptly with a ballistic plate member. Thisfluidically accelerated mixture impacting typically may then release asubstantial portion of any residual chaff that may remain bonded to foodmaterial and/or otherwise fracture desired food products.

Fluid (typically air) drawn up from a lower chute (e.g., a nibdischarge) also traverses the winnowing chamber with mixed food/chaffmaterial, thereby causing the chaff to rise in part of the winnowingcavity toward a chaff chute to be carried away by the fluid flow to asolid/air separator. Simultaneously, heavier density food products(e.g., cocao nibs) fall in the fluid to a selector chute below winnowingcavity and diverter wall. Further, for small food materials, bondedfood/chaff pieces, and/or large chaff pieces having a density too greatto pass into the chaff chute but too low to be drawn into the lowerchute, these particles may then circulate around winnowing cavity torepeat the impacting and separating process, resulting in a finer degreeof separation than may be produced from a single-pass winnowing chamberand/or existing winnowing systems.

FIG. 1A typically depicts a first perspective view of a first embodimentof the present novel winnower technology 100 (also referred to aswinnower, winnowing apparatus, winnowing system). Winnower 100 typicallymay include exterior housing 105; housing connector 110; feed member115; agitator 117; feed gate 120; feed chute 125; feed chute wall 130;plate member 135; winnowing cavity 140; selection chute 142; chaff chute144; collection cavity 145; exhaust 150; exhaust gate 155; exhaustadapter 160; separator 165; and/or exhausting member 170.

Winnower 100 typically may be constructed such that one or more exteriorhousings 105 may be integral and/or separately connected. For example,exterior housing 105 may be a single exterior wall and/or containerformed, milled, and/or otherwise formed to contain and/or system 100components. Where housings 105 may be separate, as depicted in FIG. 1Aand 1D, one or more housing connectors 110 typically may connect the twoor more exterior housings 105. For example, connectors no may adhere to,thread into, receive threading from, and/or otherwise operationallyconnect the two or more housings 105.

In some implementations, housing 105 may have one or more access panelsthrough which an operator may service system 100 components. Forexample, a service panel may be located on either side of system 105 andsubstantially fluid tight when closed.

In other implementations, system 100 may be separated into two or moreparts to increase ease of cleaning system 100 to create clamshell-likebifurcations, allowing an operator to open winnower 100 along theseam(s). For example, winnower 100 may be split along its central axis(i.e., such that feed member 115 and plate member may be divided inhalf), being removably, mechanically connected (e.g., including, but notlimited to, bolts, clips, nuts, washers, hook and loop fabric, removableadhesives, bands, grooves, and/or the like) along the divide. Typically,components may be retained on one side of the split (e.g., entire platemember 135 may be retained on left divide), removably slotted in place(e.g., entire plate member 135 may slot into receiving structures oneither side of device), and/or arbitrarily split along the divide (e.g.,feed chute 125 may be split in half when system 100 is opened). Suchdivision may allow for system 100 and/or components to be easilyoperated, cleaned, stored, and/or otherwise maintained. In some furtherimplementations, system 100 and/or components may be constructed (e.g.,via thermoforming, casting, hydroforming, CNCed, and/or the like) suchthat the separate sections may be assembled easily and/or with a greaterdegree of precision.

Winnower 100 typically may receive one or more initial food materials175 at feed member 115, which may be described as a hopper in someembodiments. Feed member 115 may be formed of any desired material, buttypically may be constructed of food grade plastics and/or metals. Feedmember 115 typically may be oriented at a slight declination relative togravity, such that food materials 175 may travel in a downward gradetowards feed gate 120, from higher end 118 (depicted to the left of FIG.1A) and lower end 119 (depicted to the right of FIG. 1A).

Feed gate 120 may typically be a moveable and/or static plate, whichtypically may help to control the feeding of the food materials alongfeed member 115. For example, if a large diameter food material isplaced into feed member 115, gate 120 may be opened to allow only asingle layer of the large food material through gate 120 at a time. Inanother example, if a small diameter food material is traveling on feedmember 115, gate 120 may be used to control feed rate at a set volume offlow (e.g., opening gate 120 to two centimeters in height). Thus, use ofa movable gate 120 may allow winnower 100 operator to select for and/oralter flow characteristics of food material feed rate into winnower 100.

In some implementations, feed member 115 may be supplemented and/orreplaced with agitation via agitator 117, aeration via aeration gratesand/or apertures (not shown), flow control structures (not shown),heating/cooling elements, and/or the like. Agitator 117 typically may bea static and/or dynamical-controlled agitation device, such as vibratorymotor, acoustic vibration device, and/or the like. Depending on thedesired food material flow rate and/or environmental characteristics,agitator 117 typically may be used to aid in flow rate control.

Feed gate 120 typically may control the rate at which food materialspass from feed member 115 into feed chute 125 and down feed chute wall130. Feed chute 125 typically may be constructed to pass food materialsfrom feed member 115 into winnowing cavity 140. Chute 125 typically maybe constructed with smooth and/or semi-smooth materials, and/oraugmented with agitation, aeration, and/or the like as with feed member115. The food materials typically may be directed along feed chute wall130 and sent at speed into plate member 135, typically causing foodmaterials to incrementally and/or completely fracture for winnowing.Plate member 135 typically may be one or more resilient structures thatreceive impacting food materials and reflect impacted materials backinto winnowing cavity 140. Further, in some implementations, the volumeof inflow through feed chute 125 typically may be equal or substantiallyequal to a first volume, which will be factored into the sizing ofselection chute 142 and/or chaff chute 144.

In some implementations, as food materials pass through feed chute 125,they typically may undergo acceleration greater than relative freefallvelocity of the food material. This acceleration typically may be due toone or more fluid drafts (typically air) coming from feed chute 125,selection chute 142, chaff chute 144, which may ultimately be drawnthrough winnower 100 by exhausting member 170, such as a vacuum, fluidicpump, and/or other such device.

In some implementations, chaff chute 144 may be sized and/or otherwiseconfigured such that chute 144 is capable of passing a sum volumetricflow rate of the individual volumetric flow rates of feed chute 125 andselection chute 142. When so sized, food materials in winnowing cavity140 typically may accelerate down selection chute 142, impact platemember 135, and fracture and experience temporary weightlessness whilecirculating within winnowing cavity 140 due to the balanced fluid flows.Then, based on the relative density of the food material, winnowed foodmaterials typically may cyclically reimpact plate member 135 to bewinnowed further, travel down through selection chute 142, and/or travelup through chaff chute 144. Reimpacted food materials may then againcirculate within winnowing cavity 140, and may again be selected forreimpacting plate member 135, selection chute 142, and/or chaff chute144.

In some implementations, winnower 100 may be configured with a pluralityof feed chutes 125, plate members 135, winnowing cavities 140, selectionchutes 142, and/or chaff chutes 144. For example, one or more feedchutes 125 from one or more feed members 115 may travel into one or moreplate members 135 and winnowing cavities 140 for winnowing. Suchconfigurations may increase throughput, decrease system 100 redundancies(e.g., may power multiple winnowing cavities 140 from a singleexhausting member 170), and/or the like.

Higher density food materials typically may fall through selection chute142, typically into one or more collectors (e.g., processed materialscollection 200, depicted in FIG. 3F). Conversely, lower density foodmaterials typically may be drawn up through chaff chute 144 towardcollection cavity 145 and exhaust 150. Collection cavity 145 typicallymay be a secondary collection cavity, which may allow some accidentallyupdrafted nibs or otherwise desired food material to be more easilyrecovered. These collected materials in cavity 145 may then bereintroduced into winnower 145 for additional processing and/orotherwise winnowed.

Additionally, collection cavity 145 may serve as a primary collectionpoint for chaff products from the winnowing process, which typically maybe discarded and/or recycled. Chaff products typically may be husks,shells, and/or other undesired detritus introduced into winnower 100.Alternatively, chaff products may travel into exhaust 150 past exhaustgate 155 and into exhausting member 170, which may cause damage toexhausting member 170 and/or other system 100 components.

Exhaust 150 typically may be one or more apertures allowing fluid(typically air) to be drawn through winnower 100 into exhausting member170. In some implementations, exhaust gate 155, exhaust adapter 160,and/or separator 165 may be utilized to supplement exhaust functionalityof system 100. Exhaust gate 155 typically may act as a filter and/orprefilter for chaff, and/or as a metering mechanism to increase ordecrease flow rates. In some implementations, exhaust gate 155 mayfixed, while in other implementations, exhaust gate 155 may be moveableand/interchangeable.

Exhaust adapter 160 typically may act to connect winnower 100 to astandard exhaust system (e.g., a two-inch household vacuum, four-inchindustrial vacuum, and/or the like). In some implementations, exhaustadapter 160 may include additional filtering, locking, and/or display(i.e., flow rate, flow restriction, etc.) features.

In further implementations, separator 165 may be placed beforeexhausting member 170 to help remove debris from the exhausting fluidbefore the debris enters exhausting member 170. For example, separator165 typically may be an air-solid separator, including but not limitedto a vortex separator, cyclonic separator, spiral separator, and/or thelike, but any separation mechanism to remove particulates from a fluidmay be used.

FIG. 2 typically depicts a second perspective view of the firstembodiment of the present novel winnower apparatus 100, withpreprocessor 172. Preprocessor 172 typically may be situated abovewinnower 100 and feed member 115 to deliver food materials.

Preprocessor 172 typically may be configured to preferentially deliverfood materials into feed member 115. For example, preprocessor 172 maydice, score, heat, cool, mix, and/or otherwise prepare food materials tomore easily be utilized by/for winnower 100. For example, where a foodmaterial may be hardened, irregularly sized, and/or otherwise moredifficult to winnow, preprocessor 172 may dice beans to a relativelyuniform, desired size, which may allow more consistent and efficientwinnowing. Thus, for example, the preprocessor 172 may utilize a dicingplate that may range from, but is not limited to, six to tenmillimeters, or a quarter to a half inch, cubes. This preparation alsomay decrease the superfine concentration in the food winnowing mixtureby producing relatively consistent and predictable inputs to system 100.

In some further implementations, multiple winnowers 100 may be used inconjunction to sequentially perform a variety of processing tasks. Forexample, a first winnower 100 may include one or more heating elementsto roast and/or flash roast food products, a second winnower 100 with acooling system to rapidly cool roasted food products, and then a thirdwinnower 100 to dice roasted and cooled food products. Thus, system 100may have a modular design and capacity to process variable food productsand demands with far greater ease and flexibility than currentlyavailable.

FIG. 3A-3F typically depict side perspective views of the firstembodiment of the present novel winnowing system 100 during variousstages of operation, which typically may also include unprocessedmaterial 175; intermediate material 180; processed material 185; chaffmaterial 190; cavity flow member 195; and/or processed materialcollector 200.

FIG. 3A typically depicts a first side perspective view of the firstembodiment of the present novel technology, specifically during aloading stage. Initial material 175 typically is loaded into winnower100 via feed member 115. In some implementations, one or morepreprocessors 172 may be used, which may then manually,semi-automatically, and/or automatically feed into feed member 115. Insome other implementations, preprocessor 172 may include feed controls,such as a metered solenoid gate, extrusion member, and/or the like tofurther control and/or optimize flow of materials 175 into winnower 100.

FIG. 3B typically depicts a second side perspective view of the firstembodiment of the present novel technology, specifically during afeeding stage. At this point in the winnowing process, the flow rate ofmaterials 175 into feed chute 125 may be controlled via one or more feedgates 120. Feed gates 120 allow the desired and/or optimal flow rate ofmaterials 175 to enter into feed chute 125, which typically may minimizeobstructions in the flow of materials 175 through winnower 100 andincrease winnowed products.

FIG. 3C typically depicts a third side perspective view of the firstembodiment of the present novel technology, specifically during animpacting stage. As described above, materials 175 typically may beaccelerated down feed chute 125, along feed chute wall 130, and intoplate member 135. Impacted materials 175 typically may then reflect intowinnowing cavity 140 before circulating, reimpacting, dropping, and/orrising in cavity 140.

FIG. 3D typically depicts a fourth side perspective view of the firstembodiment of the present novel technology, specifically during acirculating stage. After impacting and/or reimpacting plate member 135,initial material 175 typically may circulate in winnowing cavity 140.Initial materials 175 typically may remain whole and/or fracture intointermediate materials 180 (i.e., neither wholly processed nor whollychaff), processed material 185 (i.e., the desired food product from thewinnowing process), and/or chaff material 190 (i.e., the undesireddetritus from the winnowing process). Materials 175, 180, 185, and/or190 typically continue to circulate, impact, rise, and/or fall based onthe density of the relative materials, eventually being selected for asdesirable (i.e., typically higher density) through selection chute 142or being selected as undesirable (i.e., typically lower density) anddiscarded through chaff chute 144.

Additionally, while referencing cocao winnowing determines that thehigher density particles (i.e., nibs) are “desirable,” in someimplementations, lower density particles may be desirable over higherdensity products, and effectively the collection points for the chaff190 and desired food products 185 may be reversed. Thus, collection ofthe desired material would be at the collection cavity 145 and/orseparator 165, rather than below selection chute 142.

FIG. 3E typically depicts a fifth side perspective view of the firstembodiment of the present novel technology, specifically during thecirculating stage with cavity flow member 195.

Cavity flow member 195 typically may be a typically central object(e.g., sphere, cylinder, and/or the like) that helps direct circulationwithin winnowing cavity 140. Cavity flow member 195 may be configured topreferentially direct fluid flow in one direction (e.g., clockwise, asdepicted in FIG. 3E) to reduce particulate collisions in cavity 140,which may increase circulation and separation efficiency.

FIG. 3F typically depicts a sixth side perspective view of the firstembodiment of the present novel technology, specifically during aselection stage.

While this specification contains many specific implementation details,these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of anyinventions or of what may be claimed, but rather as descriptions offeatures specific to particular embodiments of particular inventions.Certain features that are described in this specification in the contextof separate embodiments may also be implemented in combination in asingle embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described inthe context of a single embodiment may also be implemented in multipleembodiments separately or in any suitable subcombination. Moreover,although features may be described above as acting in certaincombinations and even initially claimed as such, one or more featuresfrom a claimed combination may in some cases be excised from thecombination, and the claimed combination may be directed to asubcombination or variation of a subcombination.

Similarly, while operations are depicted in the drawings in a particularorder, this should not be understood as requiring that such operationsbe performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, orthat all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirableresults. In certain circumstances, multitasking and parallel processingmay be advantageous. Moreover, the separation of various system 105components in the embodiments described above should not be understoodas requiring such separation in all embodiments, and it should beunderstood that the described program components and systems maytypically be integrated together in a single hardware and/or softwareproduct or packaged into multiple hardware and/or software products.

Thus, particular embodiments of the subject matter have been described.Other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims. In somecases, the actions recited in the claims may be performed in a differentorder and still achieve desirable results. In addition, the processesdepicted in the accompanying figures do not necessarily require theparticular order shown, or sequential order, to achieve desirableresults. In certain implementations, multitasking and parallelprocessing may be advantageous.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for winnowing, comprising the steps of:loading an initial material into a winnowing system via a feed member;feeding the initial material into a fluidically accelerated winnowingcavity; urging a fluid using an exhausting member through the winnowingcavity and directly into at least one plate member such that theaccelerated initial material repeatedly impacts the at least one platemember to yield chaff material and processed material, and wherein theprocessed material and the chaff material circulate in the winnowingcavity; and separating the chaff material and the processed materialfrom the winnowing cavity based on density; wherein the winnowing cavityis in fluidic communication with a plurality of fluidic inlets and asingle fluidic outlet.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the initialmaterial further yields intermediate material.
 3. The method of claim 2,wherein the intermediate material reimpacts the at least one platemember until yielding chaff material and processed material.
 4. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising a step of preprocessing theinitial material with a preprocessor.
 5. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising a step of controlling a flow of initial material into thewinnowing cavity with a feed gate.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein thechaff material egresses the winnowing cavity via a chaff chute.
 7. Themethod of claim 6, wherein the chaff material collects in a collectioncavity.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the processed materialegresses the winnowing cavity via a selection chute.
 9. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising a step of agitating the feed member with atleast one agitator.
 10. The method of claim 7, wherein the step ofurging the fluid using the exhaust member further comprises urging thefluid using the exhausting member through the feed member and thecollection cavity.
 11. A winnowing system, comprising: at least oneexterior housing; at least one feed member disposed within the at leastone exterior housing, wherein the at least one feed member has a higherfeed end and a lower feed end; at least one feed chute connected to thelower feed end of the at least one feed member, wherein the at least onefeed chute is bounded by at least one feed chute wall; at least onewinnowing cavity disposed at an end of the at least one feed chute andopposite from the lower feed end and having a vertically oriented platemember disposed therein; a plurality of air inlets in fluidiccommunication with the at least one winnowing cavity; at least one chaffchute disposed above the at least one winnowing cavity; and at least oneexhausting member in fluidic communication with the at least one feedmember, the at least one feed chute, the at least one winnowing cavity,the at least one chaff chute, and at least one collection cavity;wherein the at least one exhausting member is configured to urge atleast one fluid through the winnowing system and directly into thevertically oriented plate member, such that particles in the at leastone winnowing cavity are repeatedly accelerated into the verticallyoriented plate member for separation of chaff therefrom.
 12. Thewinnowing system of claim 11, further comprising at least one selectionchute disposed below the at least one winnowing cavity.
 13. Thewinnowing system of claim 11, further comprising at least one collectioncavity disposed at the end of the at least one chaff chute.
 14. Thewinnowing system of claim 11, further comprising a material preprocessordisposed adjacent to the at least one feed member, wherein thepreprocessor preprocesses an initial material.
 15. The winnowing systemof claim 11, further comprising at least one feed gate separating the atleast one feed member and the at least one feed chute.
 16. A winnowerapparatus, comprising: an exterior housing; a material feed memberhaving a higher end and a lower end and located within the exteriorhousing; a feed chute connected to the lower end, the feed chute havinga feed chute wall; a winnowing cavity disposed after the feed chute andopposite the lower end; a vertically disposed impact plate memberdisposed in the winnowing cavity; a chaff chute disposed above thewinnowing cavity; and an exhausting member in fluidic communication withthe feed member, the feed chute, the winnowing cavity, the chaff chute,and a collection cavity; wherein the exhausting member is configured tourge a fluid through the winnowing cavity and directly into the impactplate member to winnow an initial material by repeatedly acceleratingand impacting the initial material with the plate member until theinitial material yields a processed material and a chaff material; andwherein the processed material is directed to the collection cavity andthe chaff material is directed to the chaff chute.
 17. The winnowerapparatus of claim 16, further comprising a selection chute disposedbelow the winnowing cavity.
 18. The winnower apparatus of claim 16,further comprising a material preprocessor located before the feedmember, wherein the preprocessor preprocesses the initial material. 19.The winnower apparatus of claim 16, further comprising at least oneagitator operationally connected to the feed member to urge the initialmaterial across into the feed chute.